


Peter

by skymageariel



Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [26]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Cosmetology, F/M, Filler, Gen, Help, Modern AU, funfluff, idk how to tag stuff, sleepover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27684383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel
Summary: What was supposed to be a fun night between Callum and Rayla alone quickly turns into a messy, crazy, all out disaster of a sleepover between the four friends.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946767
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	Peter

“SLEEPOVER!” Soren, Rayla, and Claudia all pushed through Callum’s front door in one big heap of blankets, pillows and pajamas. Soren carried his favorite Wii discs, rushing immediately to the T.V. in the living room, setting up camp right in front of the console. Claudia dragged in all of her cosmetology supplies in one big suitcase. She needed to practice a few things before her final, and Callum, who’d never had a reason to dye his hair before, had eagerly agreed to be the test subject a month or two prior. Rayla waltzed in, hugging a giant stuffed pufferfish that she brought with her whenever she spent a night away from home. Her eyes would shoot daggers at anyone who questioned it. 

“Uh, what are you doing here?” Callum grumbled as the group spilled in. He locked eyes with Rayla, who was setting up camp in the corner. “ _ What _ ?” he mouthed, wondering why on earth she’d brought extra guests as he came downstairs into the living room. It was already a mess, and the three had only been there ten seconds. Chaos had already ensued. Claudia was turning the couch into a neatly made bed while Rayla started up the fireplace. The oven beeped from the kitchen, and Soren jumped up.

“I’ll get it!” he yelled, rushing towards the kitchen, almost knocking over a lamp in the process. 

“Don’t burn yourself again!” Callum called after him, though he was sure Soren was paying no attention. “You too, Rayla.”

“I know what I’m doing- ow!” she hissed, yanking her hand from a log in the fireplace, now crackling and roaring to life. 

“Ready to get your hair dyed?” Claudia asked as Callum passed, chipper and excited.

“What? Oh, yeah.” he said to her. “Nothing too crazy, my step-dad would kill me.”

“Ugh, he ruins all the fun,” Claudia grumbled jokingly, tucking a packet of hair bleach into her pocket.

“Callum made cookies!” Soren announced, barging back from the kitchen with a sheet of steaming chocolate chip cookies. Thankfully, he was wearing oven mitts. Everyone clamored towards the sheet, taking two or three cookies before each returning to their respective activities, leaving the pan on the end table.

“Guys, come on,” Callum groaned, taking the oven mitts from Soren. “You’ve gotta make sure you keep the place relatively clean. You know Harrow’s a neat-freak.” He used the mitts to carry the piping cookies back into the kitchen where they couldn’t burn the furniture. 

“Sorry!” Soren yelled, powering up Mario Kart as he chewed obnoxiously. “We’re just really excited.”

“Ugh, I know!” Claudia squealed. “It’s Callum’s first sleepover!” She ruffled his hair as he came back in, beaming.

“Ok, it’s not my ‘first’ sleepover,” he said, pushing her hand away, “It’s just my my first time hosting one. One with… so many people.”

“With all the parties and hangouts you host, I’m surprised it took you this long to let us stay the night,” Rayla said, leaning back on her giant stuffed pufferfish, admiring the fire she’d built. 

“Heh. Every time I have everyone over, someone either goes to the hospital or makes a new stain on the carpet. Hosting all of you is hard work.” Callum sat on the ground next to Rayla, crossing his arms. “So… uh… care to explain what they’re doing here?” he whispered to her, gesturing to Claudia and Soren. “This was supposed to be an  _ us  _ thing.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said, “but Soren’s game got cancelled because of the snow, and Claudia’s been begging to come over and do your nails or whatever for forever. I felt bad, and it just made sense! They’re our friends. You would do the same for them, and they’d do the same for us.”

Callum thought for a second, watching as Soren and Claudia continued to turn his living room into their second home. 

“Fine,” he finally said, “but if tonight goes horribly wrong, I’m blaming you.”

“Fair enough,” Rayla shrugged. “Just- be careful. Claudia’s about to spill nail polish on the carpet.” She pointed to the bottle Claudia was holding; bent to the side as she searched for something in her bag, a long drip of color about to drop. Callum leapt from his spot, catching the bottle before anything spilled.

“Careful,” he warned Claudia, “If you mess up this carpet, Harrow  _ will  _ kill me.”

“Right, sorry!” She smiled. “I’m ready for cosmetics whenever you are!”

“Yeah, just give me one second,” Callum replied, slipping behind the couch and up the stairs. He ducked into his room, closing the door behind him, leaning against it once it clicked shut. What was going on? Why were there so many people downstairs? With a deep breath, he stood up straight, staring straight ahead. What was he supposed to do now? He had a movie all picked out for he and Rayla to watch, and then Callum was finally going to teach her how to use some of his  _ expensive  _ paints like she’d been dying to do since she first saw them, and then-

A knock resounded on the wood door. Callum took a breath, straightening his shirt and plastered a smile on his face. He opened the door to see- Harrow.

“Oh, uh, hi,” Callum said.

“There’s a lot of people downstairs,” Harrow chuckled. “May I?” He gestured towards the room. Callum stepped aside, letting him in. Harrow took a look around- Callum was normally relatively tidy, but the whole room was in disarray. The bed wasn’t made, piles of laundry littered the floor, and his easel was decorated with a canvas that had been left unfinished for weeks. 

“Sorry it’s a mess in here,” Callum apologized, stepping towards Harrow.

“No worries, I know things are busy with… school and such.” Harrow sighed awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “There’s a lot of people downstairs,” he repeated. “Are you okay with this?” 

Callum thought for a second. He wasn’t okay with it, but Soren and Claudia were his friends, he couldn’t just turn them away. Besides, the two of them knew how to have fun. Soren was great with video games, and Claudia was always caught up with all the latest gossip- things would be plenty interesting, even if he hadn’t planned on having them around.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Callum said, feigning confidence. “We’ll have a great time.”

“Are you sure?” Harrow stepped closer. “I’m very good friends with Soren and Claudia’s father- if you wanted them to go, I could-“

“No, no, it’s fine,” he let out a soft chuckle. “I’ll figure it out. The more the merrier, right?”

“Is that why you’re hiding in your room?” Harrow raised a brow. “To be ‘merry’?”

“Pfft, I’m not ‘hiding’,” Callum scoffed, scanning the room for an excuse. His eyes landed on the crochet turtle plush his mother had made before he was born. Practically leaping towards his bed, he snatched up the green mass and said “I was looking for Peter. Rayla wanted to see him.” He smiled, but Harrow didn’t buy it, seeing right through the lie.

“If things get hectic, let me know.” He turned to leave, walking out as he said, “I’ll order a pizza for you guys, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Callum replied, though Harrow had already turned the corner. “Looks like it's you and me against the crew,” he whispered to Peter, who didn’t reply. “Ready to face the beast?” Peter was silent. “Me neither. Lets go.” 

Callum bound downstairs, holding Peter like a book under his arm. The room was slightly more disastrous than when he’d left- the fire had sprayed ashes around the vicinity, the couch was askew, and Claudia had dragged the coffee table closer, turning it into a beauty salon along the way. With another deep breath, Callum re-entered the disaster. 

“Oh, your back!” Claudia smiled, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him into a kitchen chair she’d set up. “And you brought a little friend!”

“Peter,” Callum said, absentmindedly. He was instead focusing on the intense Mario Kart race Soren and Rayla were so focused on. They were sitting right up by the T.V, yelling at one another whenever a banana appeared in the other’s path. 

“Oh come on, not again!” Soren yelled, punching Rayla in the shoulder as his car spun out of control.

“Ow! Watch it! You made me fly off the track!” Rayla punched him back, causing Soren to fall over. He landed dangerously close to a glass of chocolate milk he’d made to go with the cookies. That would make a nasty mess.

“Hey, guys, watch out-“ Callum said, though his voice was drowned out by Rayla’s victory cheer. 

“Yeah! Eat dirt, blondie!”

“You cheated!”

“Nuh-uh, you did!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yeah-huh!”

“Would both of you cut it out?” Callum shouted. Soren and Rayla glanced back at him dismissively.

“Calm down, Callum, it’s just a game,” Rayla said, turning back to the screen to select a new track.

“Yeah, it’s just a game,” Soren scoffed. “Pick coconut mall,” he told Rayla. 

“Okay, you ready?” Claudia brought his attention away from the others. Holding a hot pink bowl with a mystery concoction inside, she stirred with a brush, getting ready to section off parts of his hair.

“Uh, what color is that?” Callum asked, gripping Peter tightly. 

“It’s black, calm down.”

“It looks white.”

“Callum, trust me!” She set down the bowl, using a comb and some pins to pull out a strand of his hair.

“Claudia, that smells like bleach.”

“It’s not, just trust me,” she replied, a bit more serious. 

“I have trust issues, you know this.” Callum squeezed Peter closer.

“I do, which is why it’s  _ imperative  _ that you just trust me. Now just stay still, okay? This stuff stains; whatever it gets on, it stays on.”

Behind where Claudia had him trapped, Callum could only hear Soren and Rayla start to bicker and fight again. He could already picture that glass of chocolate milk being spilled over.

“Suck it, dweeb!” Rayla called as she lapped Soren for the second time that round.

“Maybe you two should calm down a bit,” Callum yelled, “My step-dad’s trying to sleep-“ But just as he spoke, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Claudia yelled over the chaos, dropping the hair-dye bowl onto the coffee table as she rushed towards the door. The bowl wobbled on the edge and would have dropped and spilled all over the table if Callum hadn’t caught it. The thick scent of bleach filled his nose, making him sneeze. He was really trusting Claudia on this one. 

“Guys, we got pizza!” Claudia cheered, coming back into the room. The smell of salt and grease filled the air as she carried the boxes to the middle of the room, putting it on the coffee table amid the wide array of hair chemicals.

“You know what, maybe that’s not the best place for that,” Callum said, standing and placing Peter in his chair for safekeeping. Snatching the box up and moving it to the kitchen, Callum silently wished he wasn’t the only one here with a brain cell, and that Rayla had told him sooner that she’d invited more people. He didn’t  _ mind  _ the extra company. He would just rather know in advance so he could mentally prepare. 

“You really are the smart one here,” Claudia laughed when Callum returned, prepping a strip of tin foil. 

“Yep.” He sat down again, holding Peter once more as Claudia pinned back his hair and picked up the brush, covered in suspicious hair dye. Behind him, Soren and Rayla’s fighting got worse.

“Stop leaving your stupid bananas all over the track!” Soren yelled.

“Maybe stop being a sore loser about it and figure it out!” Rayla retorted, shoving her shoulder into Soren’s side, almost knocking him over.

“I’ll stop being a sore loser when you stop being a sore winner!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Yeah it does! You’re just not smart enough to get it!”

“Did you just call me dumb over a game of  _ Mario Kart? _ ” Rayla seethed.

“Yea, maybe I did!” Soren boasted. Wrong answer. 

“Okay! That’s it!”

“OW! RAYLA! Woah, wait- watch out!”

“Okay, what’s going on?” Callum whipped around, feeling something cold hit his head as he did so.

“Callum, I said stay still!” Claudia scolded, but Callum wasn’t listening. He was too focused on the glass of milk that he  _ knew  _ was going to get knocked over. He jumped up, springing into action, tossing Peter behind him.

“I’m confiscating this game until you two learn how to behave!” He yelled, interrupting Soren and Rayla’s boxing match. Reaching over them, he pressed  _ eject _ on the Wii and pulled Rayla by her shoulder to her feet. 

“Uh, what’s that on your head?” She pointed to the glob of hair dye dripping down Callum’s scalp.

“Nevermind that- someone needs to clean up this mess,” he said, gesturing to the glass of spilled chocolate milk on the floor.

“Rayla knocked it over!” Soren shouted.

“Nuh-uh, Soren did it!”

“I don’t care who did it!” Callum said, a bit too loud. Soren and Rayla stopped and stared. Callum was getting angry: He could feel his heart pounding. He took a breath before continuing. “Someone just get a sponge and soak up as much of that mess as you can while I fix whatever’s in my hair,” he said, turning on his heel to face Claudia again. Except he wished he hadn’t. Milk in the carpet was better than what he’d see next.

Claudia stood sheepishly, holding the crochet turtle, guilt plastered on her face. On his little feet were spots of hair dye, splattered across each limb. Callum gasped. 

“Peter!” He grabbed the turtle from Claudia’s arms, rushing to the sink in the bathroom. With soap and water, he scrubbed at the yarn as best he could, trying his hardest not to make the dye spread. Only as the dye came off, Callum started to realize that the dye wasn’t behaving like dye. Claudia said it would turn out black- but the spots the dye had landed had started to turn yellow. They were getting lighter. And in that moment, Callum came to the worst realization possible.

He looked up in the mirror at the glob of product still dripping from his hair, leaving blond in its wake. 

It was bleach after all. 

Callum grit his teeth, taking a deep breath. Then another as he turned off the running water. Jaw clenched, Callum walked with as much composure as he could back down the hall and down the stairs, into the living room where Soren and Rayla had somehow made a bigger mess on the carpet. Of course they did. He stepped towards them, thrusting Peter at Claudia who stood nearby. 

“It was bleach,” he said calmly, through gritted teeth. Without waiting for a reply, he walked over to the mess on the carpet. “What is this,” he asked, taking yet another deep breath. 

“Baking soda?” Soren replied, voice squeaky with nervousness. Callum put his head in his hands.

“All I asked you to do was to  _ use a sponge _ . Why did you think  _ baking soda _ was a good idea?” His head snapped up, trying so hard not to glare at Soren.

“Google?”

“Why is the mound of baking soda  _ bigger _ than the spill that was here before?” Callum seethed, voice low. Soren gulped.

“We scrubbed too hard?” he replied, voice somehow smaller than before. “Look, we’re really sorry, It was an accident-“

“We really didn’t mean to,” Rayla piped up, stepping closer. “I messed up. I’m sorry,” she said to Callum. He nodded. The room was dead silent for an uncomfortable second, before Callum spoke up again.

“Could you clean this?” he said, pointing to the mess on the ground and turning back to Claudia, who was still holding a newly-speckled Peter. “Could you help?” he asked. She nodded silently, placing the turtle on the couch and using a towel to get the bleach out of his hair.

“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling chunks of product from his hair. “I was gonna dye it light blue.”

“You were?” Callum asked, confused.

“Yeah.” Claudia pulled the towel away, combing through his hair. “A month or two ago, you said a light blue streak would be cool. I asked your dad if it was okay, and he said yes. I was gonna surprise you.”

“Oh.”

“And of course, I had to get your hair lighter for the blue to show up, so-“

“You bleached it.”

“Yeah.” Claudia paused, and looked at him dead in the eye. “I should have warned you though. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he mumbled, looking over at Peter on the couch. That green yarn had weathered a lot since his mom made it. 

“I can figure out a way to dye it back,” Claudia said, almost reading Callum’s mind. “I’ve got a bunch of colors here, we could find one that matches-“

“No, that’s okay.” Callum picked up the turtle and smiled for the first time that night. “We match,” he said, holding Peter’s speckled paw up to the blond spot in his hair. 

“Uh, can we get dinner now?”

“Soren! Read the room!” Rayla scolded, “They’re having a moment!”

“Oh! Umm… carry on.”

Callum rolled his eyes, amused. “It’s okay,” he said, “Let’s eat.”

As the four sat in the kitchen, eating pizza that had cooled to room temperature amidst the chaos, the four told corny jokes, laughing for the millionth time at Soren’s retelling of the “interrupting cow”. He did a really good cow impression. 

“This is fun,” Callum said, leaning into Rayla’s shoulder. “Thanks for doing this.”

“Next week will be just us, I swear,” she whispered back. Callum let out a breath of relief.

“This is your fault, you know,” Callum said, pointing to the splotch of blonde in his hair.

“Yeah, I know,” Rayla laughed. 

**Author's Note:**

> im back! here to finish out this last week strong <3 sorry for the insane hiatus, went thru some stuff, but im back! horrayyyy
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this short bit- im super excited for the last week of these 31 days. thanks for sticking with me!


End file.
